It was the day of the wedding. A day that was supposed to be full of nerves and Happiness. A day that Brent and Katie were supposed to cherish and look forward to, but the atmosphere that morning was anything but happy. It was their wedding day, yet an air of dread hung over the air that morning that made it difficult for the both of them. The skies were filled with overcast clouds that brought sprinkles of rain down on the rooftops of both the apartment and the house.

  Brent was woken up that morning by a nudge from Jeff. “Dude? What are you doing still sleeping? It’s your wedding day.” Jeff shouted, eagerly urging his friend to get up off the couch. “Come on, I need your help picking out a tie. I can’t tell you how glad I am to escort Dani down the aisle. Thank you so much for making that happen.”

  “You know the wedding is going to be in a church right?” Brent replied, rubbing his eyes as he lay there with his head on the pillow. “That means the chapel is going to be really quiet and anything that you try to whisper to her will likely be heard by at least half of the guests. And I'm not giving you the keys to any other room in the building. I know you much too well for that. The Bishop entrusted me with them.” Brent continued in a monotone voice.

  “Dude?” Jeff replied with a dumbfounded look on his face. ”What's your problem? Just because your engagement is falling apart, doesn’t give you an excuse to be an ass to people.” Jeff continued, letting out a long sigh. “Still. . I get that you’re in pain. I’m going over to check on Your place to check on Katie.” Without hesitation, Jeff was out the door of the apartment. Leaving his best friend alone with his grief.

  Katie had woken up that morning, not to the sun’s bright rays but the subtle scent of rain. She quickly rolled out of bed and closed the window in their room. She could hear her phone vibrating against the nightstand on the bed, but chose to ignore it. Brent had been sending her texts all morning, but Katie chose not to reply out of the desire to maintain her peace of mind. She lingered at the windowsill admiring the tiny drops of water as they trickled along the glass. Katie heard the sound of the front door shutting and turned away from the window. Dani burst into the room aggressively. “It’s your Wedding Day, why aren’t you dressed?!” She shouted, ripping open the closet door. Dani proceeded to pick Katie’s dress off the hanger and lay it out on her bed, “I’ve been at the chapel all morning. Your Sisters are already there and so is Brent’s mom and siblings. Everyone is at the church except the actual Bride and Groom.

  “Where’s Katie?” Came Jeff’s voice as he shut the door behind him. Jeff stopped the moment his eyes found Dani. “Oh. Hey Danielle! How was your. . “

  “Shut up and take those out to my car, pretty boy.” Dani demanded, flashing Jeff a sweet smile that was shortly replaced with a distressed expression. “I have some work to do on the bride, Okay darling?”

  “Right away.” Jeff replied with a goofy grin on his face. “You go right ahead and work your magic. I’ll leave you two alone. Don’t be too hard on her.” He said, taking the clothes pile and hugging it tightly.”

  “But I. . “ Danielle’s hand moved to cover Katie’s mouth. Katie protested behind muffled sounds, but Dani urged her friend into the bathroom. Katie let out a deep sigh and looked around the bathroom. Katie began to shed her clothes and step into the tub.

  “Less talking and more getting ready for you big.” Dani replied as she shut the door behind Katie. Dani slipped out the door of the bedroom, and began the hunt for the chapel decorations. “Oh Jeffrey!” she shouted as she opened each door in the house frantically searching for the pieces of the wedding arch. Jeff appeared almost instantly with an eager look on his face.

  “Now look here.” Jeff replied as Dani opened the hallway closet door and began rummaging through the various junk piles that filled up the closet. “The only person that calls me Jeffrey is my mother.”

  “I think you can make an exception.” Dani whispered, taking a step closer and whispering into his ear. “For me, hmmm? I know you don’t mind whatever I want to call you.” She said as she brushed his hand with her finger and moved a metal piece between his fingers. ”Now be a good boy and load these into your car. I trust a strong man like you could have that set up by the time we get to the chapel, could you?”

  The heat from Dani’s breath, coupled with the flowery scent of her perfume left the dark haired man in a trance of sorts. He could only nod and grip the metal tightly. “I can carry more than that.” He insisted as Danie piled more pieces into his thick fingers.

  “Good boy.” Dani Grinned, the blond nudging him along on the back and turning to search for all the pieces. “They’re all ready for you!” she shouted, setting the last arch piece down on the ground. “I have a bride to make beautiful. I trust you can handle it from here darling.” Dani continued, making her way back into the bedroom.

  

  “There’s my son.” Came the voice of Brent’s mother as she wrapped her arms around her son squeezing him tightly. “How are you feeling, hon?” the older blond woman asked with a sweet smile.

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  “Not all that great.” Brent replied, refusing to make eye contact with her. “You see? Katie and I. . well. .” before he could finish his mom had lifted his chin up piercing his eyes with a stern look.

  “That’s perfectly normal dear.” she said, letting her son’s head drop. “Speaking of Katie, where is that lovely red head of hers? I need to see the Bride.”

  “She disappeared, mom,” Brent replied. “Dani said after they got her dress on, she ran out the door. Speak of the devil.” Brent’s gaze shifted to the blond as the sound heels clacking on the hardwood floors came to a stop. “What’s the matter? Did you lose your stocking in one of the church Bathrooms? Did you ask Jeff if he saw it?”

  “First of all, Ew.” Dani replied, reaching back and fixing her heel. “I’ve seen all your groomsmen, sweetie. The Caterers don’t have anything strong enough to help anyone get that off. Also, My best friend is still missing. I looked all over the church and I couldn't find her.”

  “Check Jeff’s trunk.” Brent replied as the worry began to wash over him. He brushed his long blond hair back and scratched his head. “Did you at least see what direction she ran in?”

  “Not really, my Purse spilled out and I was busy trying to get all my make up together. ”Dani paused for a second before giving Brent a confused look. “You want me to check Jeff’s trunk for Katie? That’s a little dark.”

  “No. Jeff wouldn’t do that to Katie.” Brent replied, stifling a chuckle. “I meant to say I’ve seen Jeff’s trunk. It’s like a roaming Bar on wheels.”

  “So that’s how he does it.” Dani replied with a baffled look on her face. ”Ok so what are we going to do here? We can’t have a wedding without a Bride.”

  “I’ve said too much.” Brent said, his gaze dropping to the floor as his fingers remained on the back of his neck. “Wait. . I guess. . and Pray. . “ His eyelids fell shut as the nervousness overtook him. Brent turned and ran toward the chapel door. He knew that she shouldn’t see the Bride before the ceremony, but the more he thought about it the more it felt like he needed to go. Revealing Jeff who had just walked in with a half assembled Wedding altar.

  Across the street from the church sat a garden that was rich in natural beauty. The occasional vine or foliage that lay across the cobblestone floors, which stemmed from the vines and roses that grew from the soil. In the center of that garden sat a fountain where water spilled over the edges due to the falling precipitation. Along the edge of that fountain sat a beautiful ginger haired Bride. It was Katie’s favorite spot to go. A big reason for her wanting to hold her wedding in this church. Even as the raindrops hit the water, Katie still found such peace in this spot. Roses of all different colors made up the tall hedges that surrounded this part of the Garden. Katie had come here to think. Something about this part of nature made it easier for her to get comfortable and let her mind run free.

  Katie remained just the slightest bit unsure about the commitment she was fixing to make. She loved her fiancé, but something just didn’t add up. If she was meant to be with this man for the rest of her life, why did he go and start talking to some random woman. To make things words she had this Divine beauty to her that even Katie found mesmerizing. All kinds of thoughts ran through her head as she fiddled with the petals of a fully bloomed rose.

  “I suppose you missed the part in the vision where Doctor Aeryn explained.” A voice came from what sounded like nowhere. The voice startled Katie and triggered her to jump to her feet. Katie ignored the sound of the eye drop bottle as it fell out onto the edge of the fountain. She surveyed the garden around her desperately trying to put a face with the voice. “Allow me to bring you up to speed, darling.” The voice continued as Katie searched every inch of that garden carefully searching for the source of the sound. Suddenly she’d bumped into someone, which sent her back down on the fountain’s edge. A familiar hand caught her before hit the water. ”Before you freak out, just know that Aeryn sent me.” When Katie finally retained her balance, she realized who it was that was talking. It was none other than Nat.

  “What are you doing here?” Katie yelled, clenching the rose tightly as she glared at the woman. “Did Brent invite you? I don’t recall giving you an invitation.”

  “Darling I’m everywhere.” Nat replied, carefully removing the rose from Katie’s hand. “Come here and let me show you.”

  “I don’t need an explanation.” Katie continued while grabbing at the rose. “Give that back! I found it.” She demanded, knocking the bottle over and causing the cap to slide off into the water.

  “I’ll be more than happy to let you keep it.” She said, sitting herself down at the edge of the fountain. She took the stem of the rose and dipped it into the water, gently stirring it in a circular motion. “The Latin word for my name is Natura, but over time mortals have begun to call me Mother Nature. As you can hear Aeryn say.” She stirred the water a little more as if rewinding it. Katie could hear Aeryn’s voice explaining something. Katie listened with intent letting the information seep in.

  “So those that see you. . “ Katie asked curiously with a wide eyed expression. ”If they’re love of nature is strong. . they will find you. . beautiful? That still doesn’t answer my question though. What placed you at that club? Why did you come out that night among the mortals?”

  “The other Keepers and I live on this earth.” Nat replied, placing the rose back in Katie’s palm gently. “There’s a magic over this earth that allows people to see us in different ways. Dr. Aeryn Love asked me to help teach you something. The creator has listened to the voices of uncertainty that have plagued your mind. Aeryn is a follower of Kronos. . or as you know him. . Father Time. I was asked to help draw your fiancé in, so you could learn something about yourself. Something that a lot of people seem to believe is getting harder and harder to find.” Nat gestured toward the fountain which had already caught a few drops of the bottle.

  Katie watched the fountain carefully as the scene of Katie’s dying moments from the timeline played through. She could see the worry and the fear on Brent’s face. She watched as this older version of Brent crammed the capsule down her throat. Then the scene vanished from the water’s surface.

  “I was asked to come here for the both of you.” Nat repeated, taking the rose and setting it carefully behind Katie’s ear. “I was asked here to show you that you are in the right place. To show you how rare and beautiful the bond you’re making is.”